Tourette Syndrome

**Table title**
define/facts
meds
causes

Definition and Background:

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological movement disorder that is inherited. It affects between 100,000 to 200,000 people in the United States. A person with TS makes involuntary and repeated body movements, called "tics." The tics are not always present, but may worsen with fatigue or stress.

Why is it Called Tourette Syndrome?

It is names after a neuropsychiatric - Georges Albert Eduardo Brutus Gilles de la Tourette (born 1857; died 1904) who wrote a detailed account of several patients with the symptoms and tics in 1885.

Facts:

TS generally appear before the age of 18
The first symptoms are often facial tics like as eye blinks.
There are treatments, but currently no cure for TS
People with TS have a normal life span.
TS does not affect a person's IQ or intelligence.
TS are in all ethnic groups.
Males are affected by TS 3 to 4 times more often than females.
The majority of cases of TS are classified as mild

Diagnosis/Causes:

There is no single test that can tell whether a person has TS. There are test that can be done if a person shows signs of TS, but they can help to rule out other illness and or disease. These tests are as follows: MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computed tomography), EEG (electroencephalogram) and blood tests. If these tests are negative for other a clinical diagnosis of TS is possible.

The cause of TS is unknown. It is assumed that a abnormal gene in the brain is possible. It is known that the father has a 50% chance of giving TS to their child.

Medications:

Pimozide (Orap)

Fluphenazine (prolixin)

Clonidine (Catapres)

Haloperidol (Haldol)